Injured Annett may remain out until Charlotte

RICHMOND, Va. -- Michael Annett, out of the No. 43 Nationwide Series car since a crash in the season-opening race at Daytona, will be sidelined a little longer as he continues to recover from a sternum injury.

Annett suffered a fractured and dislocated sternum in a head-on crash late in the Daytona event, the next week undergoing surgery to repair the injury using screws and a metal plate. His initial recovery time was pegged at two months, leading to hope of a return next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

On Saturday, a representative for Annett’s Richard Petty Motorsports team confirmed that the driver’s recovery will take longer than that. On the advice of doctors, Annett will not return to the No. 43 car at Talladega. While there is a chance he will come back the following weekend at Darlington, a more likely return date is May 25 at Charlotte, which follows an off week on the Nationwide slate.

Annett’s substitute in the No. 43 car has been Reed Sorenson, who recorded his best finish of the season Friday night with a 10th-place result at Richmond International Raceway. Sorenson will be back in the vehicle next week at Talladega, as well as Darlington if Annett is unable to compete in that race.

Annett, a 26-year-old Iowa native, recorded a career-best six top-10s and fifth-place finish in final Nationwide points last season, and entered this year with hopes of winning races and contending for the series title. He is in his second year with the RPM organization.

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